Re: The Cathode Ray Mission: The Misc. Television Thread

Originally Posted by sbessiso

season 2 of Parenthood really starts to lose a lot of steam near the middle, I hope it picks up

I don't even remember what season they are on now. I missed most of the first season but it has had me hooked ever since. I think this last season is my favorite so far, and probably the last which makes me sad. I need to find a new show that will make me cry, everyone needs a good cry once in awhile.

Re: The Cathode Ray Mission: The Misc. Television Thread

I started watching The Hour on BBC America OnDemand last week. Loving it so far. The promos made me think it was just a BBC amalgamation of Goodnight and Good Luck and Mad Men. I was not expecting all the murder and mayhem. Just thoroughly entertaining stuff. Hope there's a second season.

Re: The Cathode Ray Mission: The Misc. Television Thread

So, I'm in the midst of a two hour conference call, hence this post....

The Hollywood Reporter has compiled a list of all the broadcast network pilots in production or pre-production right now. I didn't realize how many pilots make it to this stage. Kinda staggering. I think somewhere in LA there used to be a club that held screenings of fully produced pilots which were never picked up. Anyway, it sounds like a load of shit, but there are some interesting things that caught my eye...

Malibu Country*
Logline: After her "good 'ol boy" rock star husband cheats on her and burns through most of their money, Reba divorces him and moves her three kids and mom from Nashville to the only asset they have left—a little house in Malibu. There she’ll try to reignite her own singing career and keep herself and her three kids from being corrupted by the materialistic and rarified Malibu world she now calls home.
Cast: Reba McEntire, Lily Tomlin, Sara Rue, Julietta Angelo, Justin Prentice, Jai Rodriguez, Owen Teague, Jeffrey Nordling (guest star w/option to recur)
Team: W Kevin Abbott, EP Reba McEntire, Mindy Schultheis, Michael Hanel, Pam Williams, Dave Stewart, Narvel Blackstock; D John Pasquin
Studio: ABC Studios
Format: Multicamera
Location: Los Angeles
AFTRA

A Judith Krantz adaptation? In 2012? This had better be really, really gay.

Friend Me
Logline: Twentysomething best friends Evan and Rob move from their hometown of Bloomington, Ind., to L.A. to begin their new lives working at Groupon. Evan has trouble breaking his old slothful habits and rather than go out after work to explore L.A. and meet new people, prefers to play online poker with his friends back home. Rob has different plans and is determined to drag Evan, kicking and screaming, along with him.
Cast: Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Parvesh Cheena, Tim Robinson, Liz Holtan (guest star)
Team: W/EP Alan Kirschenbaum, Ajay Sahgal; EP Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum; D Pamela Fryman
Studio: CBS Television Studios, Tannenbaum Co.
Format:
Location:
AFTRA

Roseanne and John Goodman reunited! Goodman usually has decent taste (see - leaving 'Roseanne' before the show officially jumped the shark by having the characters win the lottery and abandon their working class roots)

The British original (which is currently filming its second season) is hilarious. Greg Daniels is the same guy responsible for the American adaptation of The Office. Sounds like there's potential here if they can truly make it their own show and not just a shadow of the original.

Re: The Cathode Ray Mission: The Misc. Television Thread

Legend of Korra is streaming online at Nick.com. Anyone who has any passing interest in badass animated fight scenes with electrified kali stick-wielding ninjas and a warrior girl who can take on dudes twice her size should check this out.
Also minor celebrity endorsement:
Faith Erin Hicks

Re: The Cathode Ray Mission: The Misc. Television Thread

Originally Posted by SoulDischarge

over the top caricatures and smug cleverness, I gave up

i'm with soul d on this, although it feels less like smug cleverness than just a general feeling of they're trying to hard to be quirky and cute. on paper I should be a fan, maybe someday i'll revisit it.

Re: The Cathode Ray Mission: The Misc. Television Thread

This will probably only be of interest to MissingPerson, but a second season (or "series") of Grandma's House is now airing. Can't wait to catch up. If you haven't seen it, it's a really funny British comedy. Simon Amstell (former host/presenter of Never Mind the Buzzcocks) plays a fictional version of himself. Every ep takes place at his grandma's house and involves his pushy mum, his neurotic aunt, perverted nephew and doting grandparents. Really fun dose of Jewish British humor. Amstell is a shit actor, but the rest of the cast is tremendous.

Re: The Cathode Ray Mission: The Misc. Television Thread

Originally Posted by buddy

i'm with soul d on this, although it feels less like smug cleverness than just a general feeling of they're trying to hard to be quirky and cute. on paper I should be a fan, maybe someday i'll revisit it.

I think part of the problem, for people just now trying to watch the show, is that the feeling of the show has been replicated and played to death since it was on. When it first aired, it was incredibly fresh.

On a different topic, I've been devouring Boardwalk Empire's first season. This show is so freaking good. I am constantly amazed at how much it is able to accomplish in a single episode - it is certainly serialized, and has many long-reaching sub-plots, but amidst that they still manage to really give each episode its own theme and story that plays out with extremely satisfying results. The acting is also completely spectacular. Michael Pitt and Michael Shannon are particularly outstanding in this, just totally captivating to watch every time they're on screen.

Re: The Cathode Ray Mission: The Misc. Television Thread

Also, I've only sort of read snippets of criticism regarding Series 2 of Downton Abbey but I'm 2 episodes in and have loved (and sobbed) through almost every minute of it. What's an abridged version of the lambasting of this series I've been seeing on the internet?